Apple Welcome Home event: what Apple announced versus what leakers expected

On 13 October 2026 Apple announced four home products: Apple HomeView, a $299 smart display, a new Apple TV 4K at $299, a $149 HomePod mini 2, and the Apple Home Collection of LG and Schneider accessories. Pre-event reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, relayed by Macworld and 9to5Mac, predicted most of the lineup correctly. The differences are in screen size, branding and ship dates.

This post sets Apple's own newsroom releases against what was reported before the event. All prices are U.S. list prices as of 13 October 2026 unless stated.

Did the Welcome Home event happen on 13 October 2026 in New York?

Apple announced the event on 8 October 2026, 9to5Mac reported, with the tagline "Welcome home" and a teaser from marketing chief Greg Joswiak. Press invitations were for an "Apple Experience" in Tribeca, New York, at 9:00 a.m. ET, per the same report.

Apple's four press releases are all dated 13 October 2026 and carry a Cupertino, California dateline. They do not describe the venue. The New York location therefore rests on the invitation as reported by 9to5Mac, not on Apple's newsroom text.

What did Apple actually announce?

Apple published four releases on 13 October 2026. The table lists each product with Apple's own prices and dates.

Source for each row: the matching Apple Newsroom release linked above. The $49.83 monthly figure is an Apple Card Monthly Installments offer, which Apple says is a 0 percent APR option available only in the U.S.

What is Apple HomeView and what does it cost?

Apple HomeView is a smart display with a 7-inch Liquid Retina display and an A18 chip, Apple says. It recognizes up to six people by face, includes two full-range drivers in the display and a down-firing woofer in the base, and runs Siri AI. The countertop model comes in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray. The wall-mounted model comes in space gray and silver.

Both versions cost $299 (U.S.). Apple also sells mounts made by Schneider Home: a USB-C Wall Connector from $59.95, an AC Wired mount from $79.95, and a PoE Wired mount at $129.95 that arrives in early 2027.

Pre-orders opened on 13 October 2026 in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK and the U.S. Singapore pre-orders open on 15 October at 9 a.m. SGT. These are company claims and specifications; Apple has not published independent test results.

What changed in the new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2?

The Apple TV 4K gets an A19 chip, which Apple says has up to 50 percent faster CPU and up to 2x faster GPU than the previous generation. It adds a dedicated AV1 decoder, three far-field microphones, and Thread. Apple says it can pair with four HomePod mini 2 or four HomePod (2nd generation) speakers for surround sound. Pre-orders cover the U.S. and 29 other countries and regions.

The HomePod mini 2 uses an Apple S10 chip and comes in pink, green, blue, white and midnight. It recognizes up to six users by voice. Siri AI reaches it "via a future software update", in English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK. Pre-orders cover the U.S. and more than 23 other countries and regions.

What is Apple Home Collection and who makes it?

Apple Home Collection is a set of cameras, a doorbell, a lock and thermostats that Apple says it developed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. Apple's UK release names the LG Video Doorbell Wired, LG Floodlight Cam, LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In, LG Indoor Cam Plug-In and LG Smart Deadbolt Lock, plus thermostats from LG and from Schneider Home.

Apple's UK page lists these prices:

Apple's UK page gives no prices for the lock or the thermostats, and no U.S. dollar prices for the Home Collection.

Apple says availability for all products begins in December 2026, with select accessories in early 2027. It also says the cameras keep 10 days of video history in iCloud+ with no separate camera subscription.

Announced versus expected: how accurate were the leaks?

Most of the pre-event reporting traces to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. 9to5Mac relayed his 6 October report on LG-made accessories, and Macworld relayed his 11 October newsletter. The comparison below checks those reports against Apple's releases.

The reported 6-inch figure comes from Macworld's event guide, which cited Gurman describing a screen on a tilting arm above a speaker base. Apple's release states a 7-inch display.

Why does Apple not sell HomeView in the European Union?

Apple's release says HomeView is not available for sale in the EU because Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS in the EU. Apple says it is working constructively with the EU to find a path forward. The Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini releases carry a note that Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU in iOS or iPadOS.

The EU restriction is Apple's own explanation, not an independent finding.

What's still unclear?

Several points remain open as of 13 October 2026.

• Venue. Apple's releases are datelined Cupertino. The Tribeca location comes from invitations reported by 9to5Mac.
• US accessory pricing. Apple's UK page lists pounds only, so U.S. prices for the Home Collection are not confirmed here.
• Siri AI timing on HomePod mini 2. Apple says only "via a future software update". No date was given.
• Siri AI beta status. Apple's materials describe Siri AI on Apple TV 4K as a beta, so features may change after launch.
• Performance claims. The faster-CPU and graphics figures for the Apple TV 4K are Apple's own, and no independent benchmark exists yet.
• Leak provenance. Most expectations trace to one reporter, Mark Gurman, relayed by other outlets. The close match with Apple's releases says something about that source, but this post compares only the items in the table above.
• EU launch. Apple gave no date for HomeView in the EU.

For the earlier confirmed-versus-rumored breakdown ahead of the launch, see Apple sets 13 October product launch: what is confirmed and what is only rumor.